Process of and apparatus for evaporating saline and other liquids



(Ne Model.) 3 Sheets-'-Sheet 1. J. E. WEAVER.

Process of and-Apparatus for Evaporating Saline and Other Liquids.

[mi-tutor:

N. PETERS, Woke-Lithographer, Washington, D. C.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' I J. E. WEAVER. Prooess of and Apparatus for Evaporating Saline'and Other Liquids.

No. 241,257. Patented May 10,1881.

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N. PETERS, Photo-Lithographer, Washington, D. C.

J E. WEAVER. meets-sheets.

Process of and; Apparatusfor Eva n a nu n 1 1 a S g n 1 b r 0 p l S d 1 u q 1 L r nu h t 0 (No Model.)

Pat ented May 10,1881.

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N. PETERS Phmo-L'nhograp har, Washington. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()rrrcn.

JAMES E. WEAVER, ()F ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING SALINE AND OTHER LIQUIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,257, dated May 10, 1881.

(No model.)

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. WEAVER, of Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Process of and the evaporating-pans, said heated liquid -con-.

tinuously passingfrom said coil or coils of pipe or pipes into a boiler or boilers by means of a pipe or pipes passing through the steam drum or drums and steam space or spaces of saidboiler or boilers, in which the said liquid is highly heated and its specific gravity increased, from which boiler or boilers the liquid passes into an evaporating pan or pans, where its spe-v cific gravity is further increased by the vapor or steam evolved in said boiler or boilers, the said liquid flowing continuously from said evaporating pan or pans into a vat or vatsfor its further treatment and manipulation by the or dinary process in making salt or sugar, the improvement in evaporating said liquids being an automatic and continuous process from the time the liquid enters the heating coil or coils until it is discharged into the vats, the whole being accomplished through the medium of the apparatus hereinafter-described.

To enable those skilled in the art with which myinvention is most nearly connected to make and use it, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, which-form part of my specification, Figure 1 is a top view or plan of the apparatus which I employ for carrying out my improvement in process for evaporating saline or saccharine liquids for the manufacture of salt or sugar. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a front-end elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a rear-end elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a vertical and v with slack of bituminous coal.

longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the condenser, representing the arrangement of the coils for heating the saline or saccharine liquid in its passage to the boilers.

In the accompanying drawings, and A represent furnaces for heating the liquid in the boilers C. These furnaces are provided with breeehing B and stack B, and are operated in the same manner as the ordinary furnaces for steam-boilers. A fire of coke is started on the grate of the furnace A, and when the coke is thoroughly burning the furnace is charged The doors a b 0 (Z c g and registers h are then closed, shutting off the ingress of air. The slack in a short time commences throwing off a heated smoke or gas, which, traveling toward the tire of the furnace A, unites with heated currents of air, (heated through the medium of fines indicated by the dotted lines I) and on, communicating with the chamber a and with the chamber to through openings 4",) which heated air passes through the openings nand a and commingles with the smoke and gas from the furnace A, which uniting at S, the flame and heat of the furnace A ignites the gaseous mixture, resulting in complete combustion of the smoke and gases of both furnaces. This furnace be ing the subject of another application, marked Division B, of even date with this application, I will therefore not further describe it in this specification.

0 represents an ordinary steam-pump, which is connected with the supply of saline or saccharine liquid, and is attached by means of a pipe, D, with coils of pipe F Gr in the case of the condenser E, said coils being connected by means of a pipe, H, with a trap, I, the lower end, J, of which is coniformed, and is provided with a valve, K.

To the upper end of the trap I is connected a pipe, L, having branches L, which passes into the drum M, and, passing down the leg M of said drum, enters the boilers G", and passing along in the upper part of said boilers to their rear end, where it turns down and has its discharge end h near the bottom of the boilers, as shown in Fig. 5.

To the front end of the boilers Of, a little above the bottom, is attached a pipe, 0, having branches A, provided with valves 6, the upper end of said branches entering a trough, S, arranged transversely in the chambers Q of the evaporating-pans H.

To the front end of the boilers O, a little above the pipe is a pipe, D,furnished With valves 8, which pipe and valves are used for the purpose of keeping the same quantity of liquid in each of the boilers, which will be shown by the glass indicator 1.

The boilers Oare each furnished with a blowoff pipe, f, furnished with a large number of perforations on its under side, and furnished with a valve, 7, at the front end of said boilers. This pipe is used for the purpose of preventing the bottom of the boiler from being coated with a crust of salt or other matter, which may settle down in the process of boiling. By opening the valve 7 an agitation of the liquid at the bottom of the boiler will follow, and the precipitated matter will be drawn into the perforated pipe and carried 011' by the To the top of the evaporating-pans H are attached pipes R, which communicate with the case of the condenser E, said pipes being provided with valves 3, for regulating the flow of vapor into the condenser and for cutting off communication between the evaporating-pans when it is desirable to do so, as in case of accident or some parts of the pans or their connections needing repairs.

To the rear end of the chambers Q of the evaporatingpans H are attached pipes t, furnished with valves n, and to said pipe is attached a pipe, 0, which is used for conveying the liquid. from the chamber Q to the settling or graining vats. The pipes t should be at the point of attachment with the chambers Q, about two inches above the bottom of said chamber, so that it will at all times have a depth of two inches of liquid in said chamber.

To the rear end of the chamber 1?, at two inches above the bottom, is attached a pipe, 1, which is used for carrying off the products of condensation.

The side walls of the condenser E are made double, so as to form a chamber, 1), between the two walls, as shown in Fi 6, which chamher is supplied with cold water, which should enter the bottom of said chamber, with a waste-water conductor connected with the top of said chamber. Theinner chamber, 10', of the condenser is connected with a pressure gage or indicator, T, by means of a pipe, 8, for the purpose of indicating the amount of pressure of steam or vapor in said chamber.

To the pipes N is attached a pipe, U, which communicates with a pressure gage or indicator, X.

To the pipe P is attached a pipe, 7, which communicates with a pressure gage or indicator, V. These pipes UYV and pressure gages or indicators VX are for the purpose of showin g the pressure in the pipes N U and boilers O. The boilers O are furnished with trycocks 4, and are held in position by the front of their respective furnace and suspended by means of rods to a (which pass up through the evaporating-pans H) and a screwnut, 11', secured on their upper end.

The evaporating-pans H are constructed of plate-iron and made in two compartments, which form the chambers Q and P, the bottom, top, and partition being supported by a large number of stay-bolts, as shown in Fig. 5.

The evaporating-pans herein referred to being the subject of an application for a patent marked Division 0, and of even date with this application, I will therefore not further de scribe them in this specification.

In the chamber w of the condenser E is placed a double coilof pipe, F G, and within the inner coil, G, is placed a pipe, B, bent in the form. of an inverted U, one end of which is connected with a pump of an engine, and the other end with a pipe communicating with a steamboiler for supplying it with heated water, said pipes at the same time aiding in condensing the vapor conveyed into the chamber w from the evaporating-pans. The coils ot'pipeF G are employed for heatin g the saline or saccharine liquid prior to its entering the boilers C, and for condensing the vapor, conveyed into the chamber 10 from the evaporating-pans. In the construction of the apparatus hereinbefore described all pipes through which the saline liquid has to flow should be constructed of copper, and those through which the steam or vapor passes may be of iron.

Having all things constructed and arranged with relation to each other as hereinbefore described, the boilers G and chambers Q of the evaporating-pans H are charged with a quantity of saline or saccharine liquid and the chambers P of said pans supplied with fresh water to the depth of about two inches. The primary charging of said boilers and chambers may be done by any suitable means, but must be done prior to starting fires in the furnaces A and A. Otherwise said boilers and pans would beinjuredbytheheatofthefurnaces. Theboilers O and chambers Q and P being charged, as stated, fires are made in the furnaces A andA, which will heat the liquid in said boilers, and also heat the water in the chamber P, which Will heat the liquid in the chamber Q. When the steam or vapor in the boilers O has attained a pressure of about fifty pounds to the square inch of boiler-surface, the operator then opens the valves 1 of pipes L and starts the pump O, which will force liquid up through the coil 1 and down through the coil IOU G, and through pipe H into the trap I, from which it flows through pipe L, and from it through the branch pipes L, (which enters the steam-drums M and down through the legs M, and along in the upper part of the boilers C,) and is discharged at It into the liquid in said boilers. The operator then opens the valves 6 of the pipes A, which will cause the liquids in the boilers O to flow through said pipes into the chambers Q, of the evaporating-pans H. The valves 0 and 2 of the pipes N are then opened, which allows steam from the drums M to flow through said pipes into the chamber P of the evaporating-pans H. The valves 3 of the pipe It are then opened, which will allow steam from the chamber Q, to flow into the chamber to". The apparatus now may be said to be in working condition, and the method or process is as follows:

The pump 0 forces the liquid through the coils F G, in which it is heated by the vapor or steam from the chambers Q of the evaporatingpans, which vapor or steam, in performing its ofliee in heating said coils and in coming in contact with the walls of the chamber to of the condenser E, is condensed, and the products by condensation flow off through a waste-pipe connected to the bottom of the chamber to. The liquid flows from the coil G, through pipe H, into trap I, where the iron or other matter in the liquid precipitates, and, settling down in the coniforni part J of the trap, may be drawn off at suitable intervals by opening the valve K. The liquid, heated and free from foreign matter, flows from the upper part of the trap I, through pipe L and branches L, and is discharged into the heated liquid in the boiler C, where it is highly heated and its specific gravity increased, and from the boilers flows into pipe 0, and from it into pipes A, and from them into the chambers Q of the evaporating-pans, where its specific gravity is still further increased by the heat of the steam in the chambers P, which receives steam from the boilers C, the temperature of which is retained to aconsiderable extent by the heat of the furnaces acting upon the bottom of the chambers P. The liquid with increased specific gravity flows from the chamber Q, of the evaporatingpans H,through pipes t", into pipe 0, and from it into the settling or graining vats, and then treated and manipulated in the usual manner.

It will be observed that from the time the liquid enters the coils of pipe in the condenser until it leaves the evaporating-pans is a continuous operation, and that the liquid is freed from foreign matter, and is being continuously increased in its specific gravity.

By the process and apparatus hereinbefore described it has been ascertained that the liquid increasesabout twelve degrees (by the salinometer) iu specific gravity, and that salt manufactured by said process and apparatus is of a superior quality.

Having thus described the nature, construetion, and operation of my improvement, what 1 claim as of my i-nvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein-described continuous process for evaporating saline and other liquids, consisting in heating the liquid and condensing the vapor evolved from theliquid in the evaporating-pan by passing said liquid through a heated pipe or pipesinclosed in a case, subsequently removing the foreign matter from the liquid by passing it through a trap on its passage to the boiler, further heating the liquid in said boiler and forcing it through a pipe or pipes into the evaporating-pan by the pressure of the vapor or steam in said boiler, and further heating the liquid in said pan'by steam and heat supplied from said boiler and the furnace, substantially as specified.

2. In an evaporating apparatus, the combination of a pipe or pipes inelosed in a case surrounded by water, an d means, substantially as described, for conveying the vapor evolved from the liquid in the evaporating pan or pans into said case, whereby said vapor is condensed and the liquid in its passage through said pipe or pipes is heated prior to entering the evaporating pan or pans, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. In an evaporating apparatus, the combination of a heated pipe or pipes,through which the liquid passes, and a trap or chamber connected with said pipe or pipes, for separating foreign matter from said liquid prior to conveying it into the evaporating pan or pans, substantially as herein described.

4. In an evaporating apparatus, the combination of a boiler with an evaporating-pan communicating with each other through the medium of a pipe or pipes,whereby liquid from said boiler is forced into the evaporatingpan by the pressure of the vapor evolved in the former, substantially as herein described.

5. In an evaporating apparatus, the combination of two or more boilers, communicating with each other below their liquid-level, and two or more evaporating-pans, the latter communicating with the former, so that the pressure of the vapor evolved in said boilers will force theliquid from them into said pans, substantially as herein described,and for the purpose set forth.

6. In an apparatus for evaporating liquids, a boiler having its liquid-supply pipe arranged in the steam-space, with the discharge of said pipe below the liquid-level in said boiler, substantially as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.

7 In an apparatus for evaporating liquids, two or more boilers communicating with each other, and having their liquid-supply pipes arranged in the steam-spaces, with the discharge end of said pipes below the liquid-level in said boilers, substantially as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.

8. In an apparatus for evaporating liquids, the combination of a boiler and evaporating pan, the latter having a steam heating-chaml parts communicating with each other through 10 her and an ex'aporating chamher, the former the medium of pipes, all arranged and operatchamber being supplied with steam and the ing with relation to each other substantially latter with heated liquid from said boiler subas herein described, and for the purpose set 5 stantially as herein descrihed,and for the purforth.

pose set forth. JAS. E. WEAVER.

9. An evaporating apparatus consisting of Witnesses: the heating and condensing device E, trap I, J. J. JOHNSTON, boilers G C, and evaporating-pans H H, said D. U. ALLEN. 

